Austin Yogurt Shop Murders: DNA Identifies Dead Suspect

Austin, TX – Austin police on Friday named Robert Eugene Brashers, who died by suicide in 1999, as a new suspect in the 1991 unsolved killings of four teenage girls at the “I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt” shop. Investigators said DNA evidence led to a “significant breakthrough” in the decades-old case.

Brashers has been linked to multiple killings and sexual assaults in other states, including the 1990 strangulation of a woman in South Carolina, a 1998 shooting of a mother and daughter in Missouri, and the 1997 rape of a 14-year-old girl in Tennessee.

Police said the case remains open, and a news conference is scheduled on Monday to provide further details. The announcement follows renewed public attention after the release of HBO’s documentary series The Yogurt Shop Murders last month.

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The 1991 murders shocked Austin. Victims Amy Ayers, 13; Eliza Thomas, 17; and sisters Jennifer, 17, and Sarah Harbison, 15, were bound, gagged, and shot in the head. The building was then set on fire. Firefighters discovered the bodies while battling the blaze.

Earlier investigations were hindered by thousands of leads, false confessions, and damaged evidence. In 1999, four men were arrested, including Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott, who were teenagers at the time. Both initially confessed but later recanted, citing police pressure. Their convictions were overturned in 2009 after new DNA tests pointed to another suspect.

Autopsy reports highlighted personal details of the victims, including jewelry and watches worn at the time, as well as the violent circumstances of their deaths. Authorities emphasized their commitment to solving the case, stating, “Our team never gave up working this case.”

Brashers died during a standoff with law enforcement at a Missouri motel in 1999. DNA evidence has since connected him to multiple violent crimes across the U.S., providing long-awaited answers in the Austin case.

The Austin Police Department will hold a detailed briefing on Monday to outline their investigation findings and next steps.